Direct Broadcast Satellite: A Proposal for a Global/Regional System

The purpose of this article is to discuss the possibility of establishing a global/regional direct broadcast satellite (DBS) system. Albeit, in the past, there have been a number of initiatives aimed at forging a unified global DBS system, such initiatives have not been successful. The most significant barriers (political, rather than technical in nature) existing in the international negotiating arenas were spillover, equal access, privacy, national sovereignty, the free flow of information, prior consent, and cultural invasion. Although not all of these issues have been fully resolved, the time has come again for seriously considering the implementation of an international DBS system. It may seem strange at this time to propose the establishment of a global DBS system, while the sole existing International Satellite Organization-- INTELSAT--is facing the problems of competition, if not dismantling, due to the proliferation of national and regional satellite systems. However, our assertion is primarily derived from four recent developments